About

Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition for D&D 5E or PFRPG

$212,825

pledged of $28,000 goal

1,783

backers

This project combines our best-selling, 5-star, ENnie-nominated Rise of the Drow book series into a massive 600+ page, collector's edition hardcover.

Rise of the Drow is a mega-adventure over 600-pages in length and takes your characters from levels 1-20. In addition to the main adventure, you can use Rise of the Drow to run multiple campaigns set entirely underground!

Rise of the Drow: Player's Guide, The Darkness Arrives (Prologue), Descent into the Underworld (Trilogy book 1), Scourge of Embla (Trilogy book 2), Usurper of Souls (Trilogy book 3), Rise of the Drow (expanded version), The Commander of Malice (Epilogue). You'll also see new settlement sections for Rybalka, Embla, Stoneholme, Vethin's Hold, Jorumgard, Fungi Forest, the drow city of Holoth, and tons of brand-new content we hope to unlock via stretch goals!

Rise of the Drow: Collector’s Edition contains revised, updated, and all-new content for the adventure and setting. The same expanded and updated content is included in both the D&D 5E and Pathfinder RPG versions of the Collector’s Edition, both PDF and print.

The D&D 5E Hardcover pledge level available to backers is funding a high-quality offset print run of the 5E version of the book. This is the first time that Rise of the Drow content has ever been available for 5th Edition.

With a limited number of Pathfinder RPG backers, we can't justify an offset print run but we don't want to leave our longtime Pathfinder friends in the dark, so we've figured out a way to do a Print-on-Demand version which will be available for PDF backers at cost + S&H from DriveThruRPG.com.

The Underworld, or Underdark if you prefer, is a dark and dangerous place inspired by Norse mythology and popularized by the late, great E. Gary Gygax, authors Ed Greenwood, R.A. Salvatore, and many others.

A twisted and dark place with a myriad of cultures and creatures, the Underworld is an entire world buried below the surface and hidden from the light of day. Deep caves and dark passages wind and honeycomb throughout the earth, distinctly unique races plot against each other and unknown horrors slog about looking for an easy meal.

Please see information about Shipping & Handling of physical add-on items in this update post.

If you pledged for the 5E print book, there is no additional S&H for physical add-on items (including overseas backers).

If you pledged at a PDF level and are shipping domestically, then there will be additional S&H added for physical add-on items.

Physical add-on items are not available for international backers at the PDF pledge levels.

To include an add-on item as part of your pledge, do the following steps:

1. Click on the “Manage Your Pledge” button.

2. Click the “Change Your Pledge” button.

3. Adjust the amount of your pledge by adding the funds to cover the cost of the add-on item you want to include.

4. Click on the "Continue" button after adding funds, and then click the “Confirm” button.

That’s all you need to do! When the campaign ends we will send a survey out to all backers where you will have the option to indicate which add-on item you provided additional funds to receive.

The Underworld is on the verge of war: Choose your faction!

The drow of Holoth have made their move, striking at the dwarven trading caravans from Embla, taking possession of the cargo, killing the guards, and enslaving the rest. The Underworld is on the verge of war and while some begin to take sides to survive, others watch cautiously from the shadows, waiting for opportunity to come to them.

To participate in Clash of the Factions and help determine the outcome of the great Underworld War (and increase the number of dice in your favorite faction's set), private message AAW Games here on Kickstarter and let us know you'd like to sign up!

Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition is dedicated to Joshua Gullion

Joshua Gullion was a core member of the AAW Games team who sadly passed away soon after receiving the printed hardcover versions of the original Rise of the Drow, the culmination of his life's work. Joshua entered the RPG industry with zero experience and left this world a pivotal person, both in the industry and in our lives. Joshua was the kind of person who was there to listen when you needed to vent and there to give you an earful or a kick in the ass when required.

Joshua was instrumental in everything AAW Games has done, past and present. Sometimes when the days were dark and I didn't know if I could do it, Joshua was there to give me the gruff reality check I needed and just like Gandalf, when doubt arose, he gave us that extra little nudge out the door.

-Jonathan G. Nelson, Owner/Publisher of AAW Games

Rise of the Drow was initially inspired by David C. Sutherland III's incredible hand-drawn profile-view cartography from the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide. Our cartographers Todd Gamble, Tommi Salama, and Sean MacDonald have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours combined; crafting, refining, and re-refining maps to perfection. You'll find over a hundred maps within Rise of the Drow, each distinctly different and inspiring alongside beautiful artwork by Bryan Syme, Mates Laurentiu, and dozens of other top-notch artists, you also get the award-winning, 5-star + seal of approval writing of Stephen Yeardley and Jonathan G. Nelson. This tome is the holy grail of Underworld adventures, second to none.

David produced much of the art and cartography for the original incarnations of Dungeons & Dragons and was disregarded by most of the industry when technology came into the mix. Sadly, one of the greats was let go simply because he didn't use computers and Photoshop. This is a reminder to us all to respect our elders, for they have carried the torch all this way, and it is our responsibility to learn all we can before we heft the weight of this ancient torch and use it to illuminate the wonders and horrors of the great Underworld hidden below

This project is being shipped by Card Kingdom / Mox Boarding House in Ballard Seattle, WA in the USA to backers worldwide. We are attempting to work out some deals with a fulfillment house in Australia to get the AU/NZ prices down but nothing has been solidified yet.

The Print-on-Demand (Pathfinder RPG) portion of the Kickstarter is being fulfilled by DriveThruRPG. Visit http://DriveThruRPG.com to learn more!

Music in video by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Risks and challenges

Each Kickstarter has different risks and challenges, with nine successful projects and a 900+ product catalog, I can assure you, we've seen them all.

The most common risks come with working with freelancers, for life is unpredictable and sometimes emergencies happen, especially when you have a large team and all the gears must turn in unison. It's almost inevitable that something unexpected will arise which is why we've come to expect the unexpected and plan ahead. Thus, we've put a fulfillment date of December 2019 on this Kickstarter just to give us the extra time we might need to deal with a death in the family or severe illness. That said, we plan to fulfill this project well ahead of schedule thanks to the fact that most of the work is already done.

We hope our track record speaks for itself and that you take the time to peruse our other projects, reading through the updates and comments therein.

Support

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Pledge $5 or more
About $5

Access to Add-ons

This pledge level grants you access to digital and physical add-ons for the Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition Kickstarter project. After pledging at this level you may simply increase your overall pledge amount to cover the additional costs of any add-on items you choose to purchase from this Kickstarter.

NOTE: You will be able to use your $5 pledge in BackerKit to apply towards S&H or rewards, however you wish.

-BACKERS AT THIS LEVEL, PLEASE NOTE-
Shipping & Handling will be charged in BackerKit after the Kickstarter campaign has concluded.

Backers in the USA will likely pay between $5-$10 S&H depending upon the type of rewards added.

WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLEDGE LEVEL FOR INTERNATIONAL BACKERS. Backers outside the USA must be cautious about adding on physical rewards as S&H and customs fees could be very expensive and disproportionate to rewards purchased.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $59 or more
About $59

5th Edition PDF

The best-selling and award-nominated Rise of the Drow Collector's Edition mega-adventure in fully interactive PDF for 5th Edition!

Levels 1-20, estimated at 600 pages.

What's Inside?
This book contains Rise of the Drow: Player's Guide, The Darkness Arrives (Prologue), Descent into the Underworld (Trilogy book 1), Scourge of Embla (Trilogy book 2), Usurper of Souls (Trilogy book 3), Rise of the Drow (expanded version), The Commander of Malice (Epilogue), and a ton of new content unlocked through stretch goals!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $59 or more
About $59

Pathfinder PDF

The best-selling and award-nominated Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition mega-adventure in fully interactive PDF for Pathfinder RPG.

Levels 1-20, estimated at 600 pages.

What's Inside?
This book contains Rise of the Drow: Player's Guide, The Darkness Arrives (Prologue), Descent into the Underworld (Trilogy book 1), Scourge of Embla (Trilogy book 2), Usurper of Souls (Trilogy book 3), Rise of the Drow (expanded version), The Commander of Malice (Epilogue), and a ton of new content unlocked through stretch goals!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $99 or more
About $99

5th Edition Hardcover/PDF

~COLLECTOR'S EDITION HARDCOVER~

The best-selling and award-nominated Rise of the Drow: Collector's Edition Hardcover book and fully interactive PDF for 5th Edition.

This is a special, limited edition (and limited print run) hardcover book with all the trimmings. Each copy will be fully decked out and signed by the authors (pending stretch goals). This massive tome will also include special features & content only be available in this book and never to be printed again!

Levels 1-20, estimated at 600 pages.

What's Inside?
This book contains Rise of the Drow: Player's Guide, The Darkness Arrives (Prologue), Descent into the Underworld (Trilogy book 1), Scourge of Embla (Trilogy book 2), Usurper of Souls (Trilogy book 3), Rise of the Drow (expanded version), The Commander of Malice (Epilogue), and a ton of new content unlocked through stretch goals!

S&H will be collected in BackerKit after the campaign concludes. Check the FAQ section for a list of estimated S&H costs by country.